The threat of regional escalation comes after Houthis staged a lightning offensive in recent weeks to gain control over Yemen’s Red Sea coast and the strategic Bab al-Mandab strait.

A Houthi military adviser told AFP the group would strike American targets if the US attempts to unblock the narrow shipping lane.

Houthis threaten to attack US interests if Washington supports Riyadh-led strikes

“If America dares to intervene militarily with its fleets or tries to take control of Bab al-Mandab, it is a red line for them and anyone else … we will fight over it,” military adviser Abed Mohammed al-Thawr said. “If America gambles on supporting Saudi Arabia with airstrikes or air support … we will consider any American interests around us to be targets and we will not exclude anything,” he added.

Thawr also noted the group would “close Bab al-Mandab completely to American ships” in the event of an intervention.

The statements follow US reports that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Yemen’s government requested military assistance from US President Donald Trump.

On the ground, violence continues to escalate. Al-Masirah TV reported on Wednesday that recent Saudi airstrikes resulted in dozens of casualties across two governorates. “Eight civilians were killed and 11 others wounded in Taiz, while two civilians were killed and three others wounded in Al-Jawf,” the channel said.

The Houthis say Saudi Arabia has conducted hundreds of strikes in Yemen since a four-year truce collapsed in July. In retaliation, the Houthis have aimed drone and missile strikes at Saudi sites, targeting the capital, Riyadh.

“As long as Saudi Arabia insists on and continues killing our country and striking our people, we will strike with an iron fist,” Thawr said.

Published in Dawn, September 24th, 2026

The new tax rules will target all those individuals who generate income through user interactions in Pakistan. The new rules were notified through a notification, SRO 1642 of 2026, released on Wednesday.

In the budget, the government had introduced a five per cent tax rate on social media content earnings.

Under the new rules, anyone earning money from social media content will be taxed if their audience crosses a certain size. The threshold has been set at more than 50,000 users in a year or 12,250 users in a quarter.

Regulations will target individuals who generate income through social media user interactions in Pakistan

Tax officials have begun identifying high-earning social media accounts with millions of followers that have remained outside the tax net.

The move comes at a time when social media has emerged as a major source of income, with earnings running into millions annually. The race for maximum followers is no longer about fame or status, but about monetising platforms to earn money through digital content.

Unlike traditional earnings from trade or services, income on social media is largely generated through audience engagement and viewership.

For those who qualify for taxation, the minimum taxable income will be calculated by taking the total earnings from social media and subtracting expenses, which can be claimed only up to 30 per cent of revenue.

Under the rules, the remuneration is defined as the higher of actual earnings or revenue-per-mille (fixed at Rs195 per 1,000 views on YouTube, subject to revision). The individuals will pay advance tax quarterly and declare income in a special section of their annual return.

Commissioners are empowered to rectify under-declarations.

According to the rules, the higher of either the assessed income or remuneration received by a person from their social media content, whether in cash or kind, will be considered taxable income.

The rules also define that a social media platform means an internet-based service whose primary purpose is to enable users to interact with other users and share user-generated content, where the economic value of the service arises from user participation, network effects, and the monetisation of user engagement or user data.

It further said that social media content means any digital information, communication, or creative material generated or published by a user on a social media platform, the value of which arises from user engagement, audience reach, or platform-facilitated dissemination, including content capable of generating advertising, sponsorship or other monetisation revenue.

Published in Dawn, September 24th, 2026

ISLAMABAD: The National Electric Power Reg­ulatory Authority (Nepra) on Wednesday notified K-Electric’s average base tariff at Rs32.37 per unit under its seven-year multiyear tariff (MYT) regime for FY24 to FY30, effectively reducing the government’s subsidy burden by almost Rs200 billion.

Nepra had originally determined KE’s multiyear tariff at Rs39.97 per unit for the period but revised it down by Rs7.60 per unit, or 19pc, to Rs32.37 in October last year on review petitions filed by the power division, Jamaat-i-Islami, Karachi-based industrialists and KE management on different grounds.

The Rs32.37 base tariff for FY24 will be indexed to inflation and exchange-rate variations for the subsequent six years through FY30.

Informed sources said the revised determination reduced KE’s effective rate of return to around 13-14pc from 22-23pc under the previous determination and cut subsidy payables by the government to K-Electric by around Rs200bn over the seven-year period.

K-Electric had challenged Nepra’s revised MYT determination in the Sindh High Court and secured a stay against its implementation. The court later referred the matter to Nepra’s Appellate Tribunal, being the appropriate forum under the law.

A three-member tribunal on Wedn­esday upheld Nepra’s revised determination and rejected KE’s position.

Nepra subsequently issued four interrelated gazette notifications and clarified that KE consumers would not be charged the tariff determined by the regulator. Instead, they would continue to be cha­rged the uniform tariff applicable to consumers of other distribution companies, in line with the federal government’s policy guidelines of Aug 22, 2023, under the National Electricity Policy, 2021.

The matter has now attained finality through the gazette notifications unless stayed or overturned by a higher legal forum, i.e. a high court, the Federal Constitutional Court or the Supreme Court of Pakistan as the case may be.

A KE spokesperson indicated that the company could challenge the decision, saying the revised tariff was not financially sustainable.

“In pursuance of the order of the Nepra Appellate Tribunal in the matter of appeals filed by K-Electric against Nepra’s decisions dated Oct 20, 2025, today a verbal order was announced where it was informed that K-Electric’s appeals have been dismissed. However, the written order is yet to be issued by the tribunal,” the spokesperson said.

“This development has a substantial adverse impact on K-Electric’s Multi-Year Tariff for the control period FY2024 to FY2030 and is therefore not considered financially sustainable for the company,” the spokesperson added.

KE said it would consider all legal remedies available to it after receiving the tribunal’s detailed order.

The government had earlier challenged Nepra’s original Rs39.97 per unit base tariff, which was indexed to inflation and the exchange rate, arguing that it gave KE an undue benefit of almost Rs750bn over the seven-year control period at the expense of the national exchequer, consumers across the country and taxpayers.

It had cited higher allowances for law and order, losses and fuel price adjustments, among other factors, compared to other distribution companies.

Nepra had rejected some review petitions on technical grounds, including limitation and locus standi, but accepted several substantive points under its regulatory mandate to ensure legality, regulatory coherence and protection of public interest.

The regulator said precedents showed that, where public interest warranted, it could revisit its own determinations despite procedural defects in applications filed by parties.

It said previous determinations had recognised and exercised powers of self-review under the Nepra Act, Tariff Rules and Review Regulations to correct material errors and align outcomes with sector realities. “These decisions confirm that the authority’s power to review and correct its determinations in the interest of justice is not extinguished by procedural infirmities in the initiating pleadings”, it said.

Published in Dawn, September 24th, 2026

• 66 projects target housing and economic recovery over six months
• Israeli fire kills two people in Gaza, officials say
• UN chief warns time running out for two-state solution

NEW YORK: US President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace announced a $2.45 billion Gaza recovery plan on Wednesday at a meeting of its members and stakeholders, in an effort meant to span over six months.

The presentation in New York coincided with the UN General Assembly, where world leaders like French Presi­dent Emmanuel Macron and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan took aim at the humanitarian situation in Gaza and called for action to end the conflict.

The proposal involves 66 projects spanning over six months, covering temporary housing and efforts toward economic recovery.

Trump is the chairman of the Board of Peace, which was initially designed to oversee a Gaza truce and the territory’s reconstruction following the war between Hamas and Israel.

Nickolay Mladenov, the board’s high representative for Gaza, urged backing for the plan. Acknowledging that discussions with Israel are not easy ahead of the country’s elections, he noted conditions are politically sensitive.

“Given the complexity of what we’re dealing with,” Mladenov said, progress is being made. Also present at Wednesday’s gathering were Trump’s roving envoy Steve Witkoff and his son-in-law, Jared Kushner.

Israeli killings

Meanwhile, on the ground in Gaza, an Israeli airstrike hit a vehicle in western Khan Younis on Wednesday, killing two men and wounding two others, local health officials said. Medics identified the dead as Osama Abu Khater and Mohammad Abu Elwan.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Israel Katz said in a joint statement the military had killed Abu Elwan, describing him as a senior Hamas finance official.

“We will not allow Hamas to rebuild its strength, and we will not stop until Hamas no longer exists in Gaza,” the statement said.

Hamas did not immediately comment.

Palestinian authorities say more than 73,000 people have been killed in Israel’s assault since Oct 7, 2023. UN figures show that by October 2025, Israeli strikes had left 84 per cent of all structures damaged or destroyed.

A US-brokered ceasefire agreed to last year calls for eventual reconstruction, but little progress has been made. Negotiators have failed to agree on terms for Hamas to disarm and Israel to withdraw its troops, and airstrikes have continued.

Since the ceasefire took effect, at least 1,400 Palestinians, mostly civilians, have been killed, according to territory health officials. The Israeli military says four Israeli soldiers have been killed. Israel and Hamas trade blame over responsibility for ceasefire violations.

‘Illegal expansion’

Separately, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres warned that the two-state solution for the Israel-Palestine conflict is at risk of collapse amid illegal Israeli settlement expansion and annexation.

Speaking at a high-level meeting on the sidelines of the 81st session of the UN General Assembly, Guterres said actions on the ground in the Occupied Palestinian Territory are threatening progress.

“The conditions for an independent, democratic, contiguous, viable and sovereign Palestinian state are being systematically erased,” he said, pointing to Israeli actions from war-ravaged Gaza to settler attacks in the West Bank.

The meeting, titled “The Road Ahead”, examines the two-state solution and a comprehensive peace plan for Gaza. It builds on the September 2025 adoption of the New York Declaration to end the war that erupted in 2023, which has led to widespread destruction and more than 70,000 Palestinians killed.

Guterres called for full implementation of US President Donald Trump’s 20-point provisional deal and the October 2025 ceasefire. He also urged an end to settlement expansion, prevention of annexation and support for Palestinian institutions.

“There is simply no alternative,” he said, “and time is running out.”

Published in Dawn, September 24th, 2026

ISLAMABAD: The PTI, which is expected to come out with its plan for the Sept 27 protest by tomorrow (Friday), has been told that the federal government will not allow it to go through with the planned march on Islamabad, Dawn has learnt.

Discussions with leaders privy to developments suggest that the party has been offered certain confidence-building measures (CBMs) in backchannel contacts with the powers that be.

However, the party has also been conveyed “in clear terms” that it would not be allowed to march on the capital, and that preparations are in place to ‘fix them for good’ in case they do go ahead with the protest.

PTI insiders claimed that as part of the supposed CBMs, the government had offered to shift former prime minister Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi to Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) and Banigala, respectively.

Similarly, sources said government representatives had told them that Mr Khan’s family members could be allowed to meet him in hospital, but not before Sept 27 — as that could be construed as “weakness” on the government’s part.

Insiders also claimed that the federal government had warned transporters that they would face the music, if they provided buses and vans to protesters. Following such warnings, some companies had already refused to provide the PTI with equipment such as cranes and heavy machinery, which the party has previously used to remove containers and other obstacles set up to block their path. PTI’s Naeem Haider Panjutha said the government had closed down Islamabad, and the PTI would come to re-open it, while following the orders of Islamabad High Court (IHC).

When asked about their plans for the 27th, Mr Panjutha told Dawn that workers from west, central and south Punjab will protest in their respective areas. “However, workers from North Punjab will join the march led by CM Afridi,” he said, adding that the march would not be called off.

When contacted, PTI spokesperson Sheikh Waqas Akram said their march would be totally peaceful and the party would not own any violence.

He also suggested that the federal government engage opposition leaders Raja Nasir Abbas and Mehmood Khan Achakzai, as they had been authorised by Imran Khan to negotiate on the opposition’s behalf.

Govt denies offering any CBMs

When contacted, Minister of State for Interior Tallal Chaudhry refuted the PTI claim that they had been offered any CBMs.

“Had the government offered any confidence-building measures, there would have been no long march,” Mr Chaudhry told Dawn, adding that the party had made such “one-sided claims” in the past too, but they were not true. “They are claiming too much. We are not even prepared to offer them less,” he said.

The minister also insisted that civilian law enforcement agencies were capable enough to handle the PTI threat, adding that the armed forces would not need to be called in.

Uncertainty within the party

A senior PTI leader said that KP Chief Minister Sohail Afridi was expected to announce the long march plan on Friday. However, he admitted that so far, the leadership and workers in Punjab, Sindh and Balochistan have no clue about the strategy.

“In the past, three convoys used to march from KP. When Ali Amin Gandapur led the march from Peshawar, a second group from Hazara was led by Omar Ayub, and third caravan from south KP was spearheaded by Umar Amin Gandapur,” one party leader recalled.

At the time, Ali Amin would come via the Hazara Motorway alongside the Omar Ayub-led caravan, while Umar Amin’s people would take the CPEC route (M14).

“Now it is being said that 12 caravans will leave from KP,” the party leader said. He expressed the fear that these marchers may even be stopped within KP, given the amount of influence the Centre was exerting over the provincial police force.

Ministers’ homes are being raided; MNAs, MPAs and even union council leaders are being arrested. “For the last four days, a prominent minister has been residing in CM House to avoid arrest,” another party leader claimed.

He revealed that on Tuesday night, KP high-ups called three police officers, but they refused to turn up, adding that this was one of the main reasons why the government was mulling curtailing police powers in the province. When asked why police was not heeding the KP government, he explained that Imran Khan had given wide powers to the provincial police force.

“When Ali Amin was CM, he curtailed some of those powers, but during Sohail Afridi’s rule, the police department won a reprieve from the Peshawar High Court and became ‘independent’ again,” he said, adding that surprisingly, the provincial government did not even bother filing an appeal against the decision.”

A Punjab based party leader recalled that previously, they were criticised for failing to mobilise supporters from the province, but this time around, it seemed that even party cadres in KP were facing similar problems.

Iftikhar A. Khan also contributed to this report

Published in Dawn, September 24th, 2026

Meanwhile, PM Sheh­baz’s address to the UN General Assembly has been rescheduled to 12.30am (Pakistan time) on Friday.

The anticipated engagement with the Iranian president comes as Isla­m­abad continues efforts to bring US and Iran back to the negotiating table.

Diplomatic sources say Qatar is handling the immediate shuttle diplomacy between the US and Iran in New York, while Pakistan is working through a parallel channel with Tehran as regional efforts intensify to keep the latest diplomatic contacts from collapsing.

The distinction has emerged from reporting by US and international media on the renewed US-Iran contacts around the United Nations General Assembly, with Qatar and Pakistan both involved in efforts to keep communication open between Washington and Tehran.

The two countries, however, appear to be operating through different but connected channels.

Qatar has been directly involved in the New York shuttle, with US special envoy Steve Witkoff saying mediators “shuttled between” the American and Iranian delegations during lengthy discussions on Tuesday.

Qatar has also acknowledged working with Pakistan to reduce tensions between Washington and Tehran and to promote dialogue.

Separately, PM Shehbaz met International Monetary Fund Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva on the sidelines of the assembly. The prime minister reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to the IMF-supported reform programme, citing progress in fiscal discipline, tariff regimes, and privatisation as the country transitions toward economic recovery despite regional turmoil.

Published in Dawn, September 24th, 2026

“In exercise of its sovereign right to self-defence, Pakistan conducted precision aerial and drone strikes against 10 locations in Afghanistan used for launching and storing these drones,” Tarar wrote in a post on social media platform X.

He added that the strikes were “deliberate, precise, calibrated and proportionate and strictly limited to identified military objectives directly linked to the attempted attacks against Pakistan”.

In the post, Tarar condemned Wednesday’s “deliberate and unlawful” drone incursion, calling it a “blatant violation of Pakistan’s sovereignty and territorial integrity”.

He held the drone attacks were a “grave and unacceptable act of aggression”.

Tarar said Pakistan had conveyed its concerns to the Afghan Taliban over the terrorist elements emanating from Afghan soil and the presence of terrorist sanctuaries.

However, he noted that rather than dismantling the terrorist networks and taking action against them, the Afghan Taliban chose to “escalate the situation through hostile drone operations against Pakistan”.

He said that in Wednesday’s attack, Pakistan’s Air Defence systems had “detected, tracked and neutralised all intruding platforms before they could reach any of their intended targets, comprehensively thwarting the attempted attack”.

Tarar held that Pakistan will “neither accept nor tolerate” attacks from Afghan territory — whether by terrorist groups or the Afghan Taliban regime itself.

He warned against violation of Pakistan’s sovereignty, vowing that it will be met with “an immediate and decisive response”.

The minister further held that: “Any threats, denials or attempts to deflect responsibility by [the] Afghan Taliban will neither alter the facts nor constrain Pakistan’s inherent right to defend its territory, its people and its national security.”

Tarar, in the post, called upon the Afghan Taliban to halt immediately “hostile activity” and abide by international obligations “by taking effective, concrete, verifiable and sustained action against terrorist entities operating from Afghan soil”.

Tarar warned that the Afghan territory should not be used for attacks against Pakistan.

He maintained that Pakistan remained committed to “regional peace, dialogue and constructive engagement” and was not seeking escalation. However, the information minister warned: “This commitment must not be mistaken for weakness or an unlimited tolerance of hostile actions”.

He vowed that the country will defend its sovereignty, territorial integrity and the lives of citizens with “full resolve and take all necessary measures to protect them”.

“Any further provocative act by [the] Afghan Taliban will be responded with [a] firm and resolute response,” the information minister warned.

More to follow.